Rotary table



June 5, 1956 o. A. COSTELLO 2,748,624

ROTARY TABLE Filed May 29 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 W/76 rz. 655%02 ZJ/ 77 azmwyymm ,1...

June 5, 1956 o. A. COSTELLO ROTARY TABLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1951 1 QW/vae qa June 5, 1956 I o. A. COSTELLO 2,748,624

ROTARY TABLE Filed May 29, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States PatentO ROTARY TABLE Otto A, Costello, South Bend, Ind., ,assignor to South $12311 Lathe Works, South Bend, Ind. a corporation of n rana Application May 29, 1951, Serial No. 228,859

10 Claims. (Cl. 74-813) My invention relates to rotary tables having a wide variety of .uses and .applications in machine tools such as shapers, drill presses, lathes, milling machines and the like, .as well as being adapted for bench layout work.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved table that may be more quickly and conveniently rotated from one exact position to another.

Another object is to provide a new :and improved pivotal support which more accurately and securely holds .the table in exact positions and which may be readily adjusted to compensate for wear.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement of scales.

Another object is to provide a new and improved means for locking an adjustable scale in various positions.

Another object is to provide a new and improved arrangement of gearing for accurately positioning the rotary table. These and other objects will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in .conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the rotary table of my invention showing a work piece on the table;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rotary table;

Fig. .3 is a plan view partly in section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an irregular sectional view taken on line 4-4 .of Fig. 2;

Fig. .5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 1;

:Fig. 6 is a partial detail view showing the assembly for locking the fine adjustment scale on the shaft;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig Fig. .8 is a detail view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is aidetail sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the table rotating mechanism housing;

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view taken on line 11.11 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the clamping shoe.

My novel rotary table has a cylindrical, hollow base with lateral flanges 22 and 24 (Figs. 2 and 3) attached to a work bench 26 by bolts 28 passing through the flanges and slots in the work bench. The base has a lower bore 30 (Fig. 4) and a larger upper bore 32, which form therebetween an internal seat 34. A worm wheel 36 is inserted in the upper bore 32 to rest upon the seat 34, and has a cylindrical depending portion 38 adapted to fit snugly in the lower bore 30. A work holding member 40 is secured to worm wheel 36 by machine screws 42 and the work piece is secured to member 40 by bolts 44 (Fig. 1), whose heads are disposed within T-slots 46 in the work holding member. When the work piece is to be rotated, the worm wheel 36, member 40 and the work piece will be rotated relative to the base, as will be hereinafter explained. The worm wheel 36 and holding member 40 may be called the table.

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.A :novel feature .ofmy invention is the means I have provided to lock athe worm :wheel in the base. As seen in :Fig. .4, the depending portion 38 has been cut away toform an inclined circumferential bearing surface 48. Referring to Figs. 3 :and 4, it will he noted that the lower part .of base 20 has three partially threaded radial bores '50 in .which' clamping shoes 52 are carried in alignment with bearing surface 48. Socket 'iheaded lock screws 54 .are threaded into .two of the bores Y50 and a lock screw .56 having a :bifurcated head 58 is threaded into theother bore 50. A handle 60 is connected to lock screw 56 by a pin 62. The lock screws 5.4 are threaded into the bores "50 until the clamping shoes 52 associated there- With engage the :bearing surface 48. The handle 6% may then be operated to either force the clamping shoe 52 associated therewith .into engagement with bearing surface 48 and lock the worm wheel 36 to the base or to release the clamping shoe'to permit rotation of the worm .wheel. Thus, with this three point clamping it is only necessary to operate one .of the lock screws and this is :easily and quickly performed by handle 60.

:not, however, hinder the movement of the shoes 52 axially of the bores 50.

'iBesides providing positive locking of the worm wheel 3.6, my novel locking means prevents any movement of the worm wheel 36 axially of itself whether the wheel 'is.fr.ee to rotateQor locked in place. This feature is effected by inclining the bearing surface 48 relative to the axis of wheel 36 and by providing the shoes 52 with complementary inclined faces. Thus, as seen in Fig. 4, :the wheel 36 cannot be moved upwardly due to shoes 52 engaging the bearing surface 48, whether they are in the locking position or not, and locking action of the shoes draws the wheel 36 into firmer engagement with the seat 34 which supports the worm wheel at all times. However, the wheel 36 can be conveniently removed from base 29 by simply removing the lock screws 54 and 56 and shoes 52.

Another aspect of my locking means is that any wear on the bearing surface 48 will not aflect the alignment of the wheel 36 Within the base 20, since the wear can be compensated for by adjusting the shoes 52 so that the depending portion 38 is centrally located in bore 30. Therefore, the surfaces of depending portion 38 and bore 36 is not subjected to any wear and true alignment is assured.

A gear housing 70 (best seen in Fig. l0) is pivotally secured to the lateral flange 24 of base 20 by a hinge pin '72 (Fig. 5). 'This housing 70 has a shaft 74 journaled therein. A worm gear 76 is secured to the shaft by a pin 78. Also mounted on this shaft are a sleeve 80, a graduated collar 82, and a ball crank 84, secured to the shaft by pin 86 and lock screw 88. The worm 76 is disposed within the housing 70 and the sleeve 8% is held fastto housing 70 by a screw 90. The collar $2 is rotatably mounted on shaft 74 and may be locked thereto in a manner subsequently described.

The worm '76 is so disposed within housing 70 that it will engage teeth 92 on worm wheel 36 when the housing is in the position shown in Fig. 5. It should be noted that the base 20 has been cut away to expose the teeth 92 adjacent the lateral flange 24. When the housing 70 is swung to the position shown in phantom in Fig. 2 the worm 76 will be out of engagement with teeth 92.

This novel concept gives my rotary table a versatility heretofore unknown. In the position of the worm 76 shown in Fig. 5, the work piece may be rotated through the gearing (by turning ball crank 84) to any position, and when the worm is swung about pin 72 to the position shown in phantom in Fig. 2, the work piece may be turned by hand without using the gearing. As will be hereinafter explained, the concept of having the worm 76 adapted to engage or disengage the worm wheel 36 will enable the operator to approximately adjust the work piece to the desired position by hand rotation, and then exactly position it by using the gearing.

In order to hold the worm 76 in engagement with wheel 36 I have provided a plunger 94 (Fig. 11) urged into an identation 96 in the lateral flange 24 by a spring 98. A threaded plug 100 controls the amount of force holding the plunger 94 in the indentation 96. The worm 76 is disengaged from teeth 92 by simply applying enough lateral force on ball crank 84 or sleeve 80 to swing the housing 70 about pivot pin 72 and urge the plunger 94 out of identation 96. In order to keep dirt, metal shavings and the like away from the gearing I have provided ta cover 102 held on a seat 104 (Fig. l) of the housing 70 by screws 106, as seen in Figs. 2 and 9.

As previously mentioned the graduated collar may be rotated with the shaft 74 or about the shaft, and herein lies another novel feature of my invention. to Figs. 5, 6, and 8, it will be noted that an hour-glass shaped pin 108 is inserted in an axial bore 110 in shaft 74 and a thumb screw 112 is threaded into a tapped enlargement 114 of bore 110. When the screw 112 is threaded into tapped hole 114 a sufficient distance, the arcuate sides of the pin 108 will jam the ball 116 in cross bore 118 against the collar 82 to secure the collar to the shaft 74. but, as seen in Fig. 5, when the screw is threaded outwardly a suflicient distance, the ball will be released from engagement with the collar and permit the collar to rotate relative to the shaft.

Fig. 1 shows that work holder 40 has a circumferential scale 120 formed thereon adjacent an index mark 122 tor-med on base 20 and Fig. 2 shows a scale 124 formed on the collar 82 adjacent an index mark 126 on the sleeve 80. These scales are utilized to facilitate positioning of the work piece. The scale 120 is usually laid out in degrees, while the scale 124 is usually laid out in minutes which, of course, refer to the angular movement of the worm wheel 36. Assuming, for the sake of illustration, that the gear ratio between worm 76 and wheel 36 is 72:1, one revolution of the shaft 74 will move the wheel through so the scale 124 may have five equally spaced marks, and these may be indicated as 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 marks. Ihave shown, in Fig. 2, the space between these degree marks as being divided into twenty equal spaces and, thus, each space represents three minutes of movement of the wheel. Hence, the scales 120 and 124 may be utilized to give an accurate setting to the work piece by reading degrees on scale 120 and degrees or minutes on scale 124.

Since I have incorporated in my rotary table the novel concept of having the table rotated either by hand or by gearing. the scales 120 and 124 may be used in still other ways. If, for example, the operator wishes to move the table to a setting of 5836, he swings the worm 76 out of engagement with wheel 36, releases the wheel by turning handle 60, rotates the Wheel until 58 registers with index mark 122, swings the worm into engagement with the wheel, sets the O on scale 124 opposite index mark 126, tightens screw 112 to lock the collar to the shaft 74, rotates the shaft until the index mark reads 361 on scale 124, and relocks the table with handle 60. It should be noted from the preceding description that these steps are easily and quickly performed and the necessity Referring u of laboriously turning the shaft 74 through a great number of revolutions is completely eliminated. The brief description of how the scales and 124 may be used is by no means to be considered the only ways in which the scales may be coordinated, since my structure lends itself to a great number of particular modes of operation.

Having described my invention it should be apparent that I have provided an extremely versatile rotary table that may be more quickly and conveniently rotated to locate a work piece in any exact position. The work piece is accurately and securely supported and locked in position at any division of a revolution by a three-point locking means which insures accurate location of the table at all times and hold the table firmly against its supporting base. Provision has been made to compensate for any wear in the locking means whereby the initial accuracy in the positioning and locking of the rotary table may be maintained throughout the life of the mechanism. It should also be noted that I have provided a novel and particularly simple and convenient arrangement for re leasing or securing in any desired position an adjustable scale whereby such scale can be readily shifted relative to a second scale to effect any desired relationship therebetween.

While I have illustrated and described only a single form of my invention it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the details shown and described but includes all modifications, variations, and equivalents coming within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a hollow cylindrical base, an annular, upwardly facing, internal flange formed on the base, said flange being bounded by an upper wall and a thicker lower wall, said lower wall having radial bores, a table nested within said hollow cylindrical base between said walls, clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores in said lower wall, means to force said clamping shoes into frictional engagement with said table, and means to rotate said table.

2. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a hollow cylindrical base having radial bores spaced 120 apart, a table nested in said hollow base, an upwardly facing annular bearing surface formed on said table, said bearing surface being disposed at an oblique angle relative to the axis of said cylindrical base, clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores in alignment with said bearing surface, said clamping shoes having downwardly facing bearing surfaces adjacent said upwardly facing bearing surface of substantially the same configuration as said upwardly facing bearing surface, lock screws bearing against said shoes to force said shoes against said upwardly facing bearing surface, a handle attached to one of said lock screws and operable to lock or release said base and table, said shoes having elongated channels extending axially of said bores, and pins engaging said base and disposed within said channels to prevent rotation of said shoes within said bores.

3. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a base, a table supported by said base, means to lock said table to said base, a gear on said table, a table rotating mechanism, said table rotating mechanism comprising a housing hingedly connected to said base, a shaft journaled in said housing, a worm secured to said shaft, and a yielding catch on said housing adapted to engage said base, said worm being meshed with said gear when said catch engages said base.

4. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a base, a table supported by said base, a circumferential scale on said table, means to lock said table to said base. a gear on said table, a housing hingedly connected to said base, a shaft journaled in said housing, a worm secured to said shaft, a collar surrounding said shaft, a second circumferential scale on said collar, means to releasably secure said collar to said shaft, said collar being capable of rotation relative to said shaft as well as rotation with said shaft, and said worm engaging said gear when said housing is pivoted on said base to a position such that said worm is substantially tangent to said gear, and a yielding plunger on said housing adapted to latch with said base when said worm engages said gear.

5. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a hollow cylindrical base having radial bores, a table nested within said hollow cylindrical base, clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores, lock screws in said radial bores adapted to force said clamping shoes into frictional engagement with said table to lock said table relative to said base, said shoes having elongated channels extending axially of said bores, pins engaging said base and disposed within said channels to prevent rotation of said shoes within said bores, gear teeth formed on said table, a housing pivotally connected to said base, a shaft journaled in said housing, a worm secured on said shaft, said worm engaging said gear teeth when said housing is pivoted about said base to a position where said worm is substantially tangent to said table, and a handle secured to said shaft to rotate said shaft and worm.

6. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a hollow cylindrical base, an annular, upwardly facing, internal flange formed on the base, said flange being bounded by an upper wall and a thicker lower wall, said lower wall having radial bores, a table nested within said hollow cyl indrical base between said walls, an annular bearing surface formed on said table, said bearing surface being disposed at an oblique angle relative to the axis of said cylindrical base, clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores in alignment with said bearing surface, said clamping shoes having faces adjacent the bearing surface of substantially the same configuration as said bearing surface, lock screws bearing against said shoes to force said shoes against said bearing surface to lock said table to said base, and means to rotate said table.

7. in a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a hollow cylindrical base, an annular, upwardly facing, internal flange formed on the base, said flange being bounded by an upper wall and a thicker lower wall, said lower wall having radial bores, a table nested within said hollow cylindrical base between said walls, an annular bearing surface formed on said table, said bearing surface being disposed at an oblique angle relative to the axis of said cylindrical base, clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores in alignment with said bearing surface, said clamping shoes having faces adjacent the bearing surface of substantially the same configuration as said bearing surface, lock screws bearing against said shoes to force said shoes against said bearing surface to lock said table to said base, said shoes having elongated channels extended axially of said bores, pins engaging said base and disposed within said channels to prevent rotation of said shoes within said bores, and means to rotate said table relative to said base.

8. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a

hollow cylindrical base having radial bores, a table nested in said hollow base, an annular bearing surface formed on said table, said bearing surface being disposed at an oblique angle relative to the axis of said cylindrical base, clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores in alignment with said bearing surface, said clamping shoes having faces adjacent the bearing surface of substantially the same configuration as said bearing surface, lock screws bearing against said shoes to force said shoes against said bearing surface to lock said table to said base, said shoes having elongated channels extending axially of said bores, pins engaging said base and disposed within said channels to prevent rotation of said shoes in said bores, and means to rotate said table relative to said base.

9. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a hollow cylindrical base having radial bores, a table nested in said hollow base, clamping means comprising clamping shoes inserted in said radial bores and means to force said clamping shoes into frictional engagement with said table whereby said clamping means is continuously operable to lock said table to said base in any relative position, a gear on said table, and a table rotating mechanism pivotaliy attached to said base, said table rotating mechnism being adapted to engage or disengage said gear by pivoting said table rotating mechanism about said base.

10. In a rotary table for supporting a work piece, a base, a table supported by said base, a circumferential scale on said table, means to lock said table to said base, a table rotating mechanism, said table rotating mechanism comprising a shaft rotatable to turn said table and a collar rotatably mounted on said shaft adjacent one end thereof, said shaft having an axial bore adjacent said end and a transverse bore connecting said axial bore and said collar, a ball in said transverse bore, shiftable means in said axial bore, said shiftable means having a reduced portion and another portion of greater size and adapted upon movement within said axial bore to force said ball into engagement with said collar to lock said collar relative to said shaft, whereby said collar and shaft may be secured in various adjusted positions, and a second scale formed on said collar, said second scale being graduated in divisions relating to angular movement of said table.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,396,302 Wagner Nov. 8, 1921 2,155,680 Pfauter Apr. 25, 1939 2,534,432 Frushour Dec. 19, 1950 2,570,444 Henkel Oct. 9, 1951 2,585,828 Pearson Feb. 12, 1952 2,610,552 Victory Sept. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 508,193 France Oct. 4, 1920 563,373 Great Britain Aug. 10, 1944 

